1. When Eric Mangini named his three coordinators, two were obvious, experienced choices. Rob Ryan had been a defensive coordinator in Oakland, a defensive coordinator at the college level, a linebackers coach with New England and comes from the Ryan family of defensive coaches. New Browns special teams coach Brad Seely had that position with various NFL teams for 20 years, the last nine being in New England. Given who was available, it's hard to argue with either selection.

2. Mangini's biggest gamble is Brian Daboll, the new offensive coordinator. It may be a gutsy choice that pays off, or Daboll could suffer some of the rookie problems that come in the first year of calling plays under pressure. Mangini knows Daboll well. They worked together on Bill Belichick's staff in New England where Daboll began as a defensive assistant, then spent five years as the Patriots' wide receivers coach. For the previous two seasons, he was the quarterbacks coach under Mangini with the Jets.

Brian Daboll

3. Mangini realizes that offensive coordinator is a critical spot, and he obviously believes Daboll can do the job. But this will be interesting to follow -- did Mangini find his own Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator unearthed by Belichick who is now head coach in Denver? Could it be that in the same way Belichick saw something in a no-name assistant named Eric Mangini and turned him into the defensive coordinator, Mangini is willing to give Daboll this chance?

4. Word from some of the players is Daboll's personality doesn't exactly ooze warmth, but he does know a lot of football. He is very organized, and there seems to be a purpose to what they are practicing. One key will be not to fall into the trap of some first-year coordinators who give their players too many formations and too many plays.

5. You can look at Ryan's track record and believe he'll use the basic 3-4 defense, but also employ different sets and combinations to attempt to confuse the opposition. That's not only his personal history, it's how his father, Buddy, and brother, Rex, coached defense. The creative approach is also something desperately needed with the Browns. But Daboll? Who knows? At his news conference, Daboll mentioned being influenced by everyone from Charlie Weis to Brian Schottenheimer to Bill Callahan to Dante Scarnecchia to current Browns quarterback coach Carl Smith. He said, "Our offense is kind of a conglomeration of a lot of different things."

6. A safe guess is the Browns want a bigger, more rugged offensive line to be able to run the ball. It's amazing that only once since 1999 (that was in 2007) have the Browns even ranked in the top¤20 in rushing! Just once. You know that has to change, or this will be another grim season on the lakefront. So you will hear a lot of talk about combining the bullish Jamal Lewis with the quicker Jerome Harrison and maybe rookie James Davis to give different looks in the backfield.

7. In the past, the Browns used more zone, finesse blocking schemes. It appears the Browns want more straight-ahead power blocking. They are sorting through Porkchop Womack, Ryan Tucker, Rex Hadnot and Michael St. Clair to find starters at right guard and right tackle. Despite the concerns about the drop in his weight, it's hard to imagine Eric Steinbach not starting at left guard between Pro Bowler Joe Thomas and first-rounder Alex Mack. Hadnot has played a lot at right guard and some at left guard. He also has been used at center. He consistently has practiced with the starters and seems in the plans for a spot somewhere.

8. Mangini started rookie Nick Mangold at center in 2006 with the Jets, and unless Mack disappoints, the same should happen with him. A key will be the health of Tucker, because he is a powerful run-blocker. It could be Tucker and Hadnot on the right side. Tucker is 34 and has not been healthy at the end of the season since 2005. So the odds are against him playing 16 games. But the Browns have four experienced veteran linemen as backups: Hank Fraley, George Foster, Womack and St. Clair.

9. The Browns never will talk publicly about this, but they want to put Braylon Edwards in routes where he feels confident -- some short slants and other quick throws to get him the ball and allow him to use his strength and legs to gain yardage. Since no trade materialized for Edwards (the Giants would not part with a first-rounder and some veterans), the Browns need Edwards producing to help the offense -- and all the young receivers. Mentally beating him up for leading the NFL in dropping passes is not a way to make that happen.

10. They are preparing both quarterbacks to play and have no intention of naming a starter until a few games into the exhibition season. Daboll on the quarterback: "[He] is someone who can get into the huddle, call the football play, get people lined up, understand where to make the Mike points, understand when they are hot, the whole mechanics of the operation." I admit to having no clue about the "Mike points," I just hope it's not a rerun of Mike Phipps. I do get the rest, when Daboll added: "The next thing is decision-making and who can perform best under pressure. ... When the pads come on, that will sort itself out."

ABOUT CAVS' FIRST-ROUNDER CHRISTIAN EYENGA

This e-mail came from Matt Kamalsky, a Shaker Heights native who writes for draftexpress.com:

"After spending most of last winter in Spain, Eyenga is a player that I've seen play more than most. A 6-5 guard with a big wingspan and incredible athletic tools, Eyenga comes from the same developmental system as Ricky Rubio and fellow second-round pick Henk Norel. ... Unlike those two players, he competed primarily with CB Prat Juventud, which is what amounts to DKV Joventut's Triple-A affiliate.

"The Spanish Basketball landscape has four tiers, with the ACB on top, followed by the LEB Gold, Silver, and Bronze. ... Eyenga played extensively with CB Prat in the LEB Silver, which does not offer the highest level of competition, featuring a lot of raw, young players and prospects for the NBA and Europe. He also performed well for DKV Joventut on the Spanish sub-20 circuit, helping his team come away with the championship victory.

"In 30.2 minutes per game, Eyenga averaged 12.9 points in 27 games. Shooting 55 percent from the field, he was one of the most explosive leapers in the league, making it easy for him to finish around the basket in transition and when he could beat his man to the rim.

Jason DeCrow/APOne school of thought as to why the Cavaliers drafted Christian Eyenga is he was the player with the most upside when Cleveland was on the board with the last pick of the first round.

"At this point, he isn't a terribly consistent set shooter [34.1 percent on 3-pointers] due to shoddy balance in some catch-and-shoot situations, but has already developed promising mechanics. One of his biggest weaknesses is his lack of advanced ball-handing ability. ... He's still quite a ways from being NBA-ready on the offensive end. ... The best tools Eyenga has, outside of his ability to play above the rim, show on the defensive end. His wingspan and leaping ability make him an excellent shot-blocker for a perimeter player. He finished in the top-5 in blocks-per-game in the LEB Silver.

"His rebounding average of 5.07 per game is a good representation of his athleticism. He doesn't show great anticipation on the boards and simply outjumps everyone for the ball. Eyenga lacks some fundamentals on the defensive end, but his physical tools make him quite an interesting prospect. Using his athleticism effectively on the defensive end and having the wingspan of a player taller than he is listed [6-5], Eyenga seems to fit the mold of the player the Cavaliers were looking for, even if he doesn't seem likely to come over in the short-term.

"This pick represents the athletic defense the team desires and the franchise's desire to take a risk on a player with a world of upside. The selection came as a surprise to most, since Eyenga's camp seemed just as surprised as everyone else when his name with called. ... Pundits are going to rip this pick to shreds, since it offers no immediate value, but no one will be able to evaluate it for two years, at the minimum."

ABOUT THE INDIANS...

Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerMatt LaPorta, who played for the Indians briefly this season, is stuck at Class AAA Columbus because Grady Sizemore's questionable elbow means Cleveland has to keep Ben Francisco with the club, the only other player who can play center field.

1. The reason Matt LaPorta isn't in Cleveland is Grady Sizemore's cranky elbow, which will probably require postseason surgery. It also means the Indians need to rest him twice a week, and that means Ben Francisco has to play center. The natural move would be to send the struggling Francisco to the minors and promote LaPorta. But the CFs on the roster are Francisco and Sizemore.

2. Yes, Michael Brantley is turning into a very good CF at Class AAA Columbus, but he's hitting a modest .252 with four HR, 12 doubles and 25 RBI. Since June 1, he's hitting .269 (.350 on-base percentage). He is only 22, and probably not ready for prime time yet. There are many good signs: 31-of-34 in stolen bases; only 39 strikeouts in 302 at-bats; and he looks like the leadoff hitter of the future.

3. LaPorta deserves a promotion. He entered the weekend hitting .300 with 10 HR, 38 RBI and a .909 OPS. Since June 1, he is a .300 hitter with five HR and 24 RBI in 114 at-bats. On the season, the right-handed batter is hitting .319 vs. RHP and .344 with runners in scoring position. He is hitting only .205 (9-of-44) vs. LHP. He does an acceptable job in left field or first base. If the Indians were to flip LaPorta and Francisco, Shin-Soo Choo would have to fill in at CF, and he struggled in that spot with Seattle a few years ago.

4. The Indians could send Chris Gimenez back to Columbus, but they view him as a utility guy -- and he has done very well in that role. When LaPorta returns, they want to make sure it's to play most days. Remember, this is their thinking -- not necessarily what I would do.

5. The Indians love the OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). Anything over .800 is good, over .900 is All-Star caliber. The big-league average is in the .750 range. Heading into the weekend, there were 152 players with at least 250 total at-bats. On the OPS list of 152, Francisco (.667) ranked 141st. Jhonny Peralta (.699) was 129th. What if the Indians had kept Kevin Kouzmanoff? He's at 146th (.659 OPS) while hitting .235 with 10 HR and 40 RBI for the Padres. Because the pitching has been so bad and so many other problems have emerged, Peralta's dreadful season has not received much attention.

6. It's been this kind of year: In 113 pro games covering 179 innings, Chris Perez never allowed four runs in an inning until ... you guessed it, he joined the Indians! Perez is a real prospect who turned 24 on July 1. In 66 career big-league innings heading into the weekend, he is 4-4 with a 4.23 ERA. He has whiffed 72 in those 68 innings, but a problem is he averages 5.2 walks per nine innings. In the minors, it was 6.0 walks (yet his minor-league ERA is 2.72). Sometimes, a guy like this becomes an effective reliever. His has the talent, we'll see if he develops.

7. From Bruce Winkworth: "I'm the baseball sports information director at North Carolina State and have seen plenty of [North Carolina pitcher] Alex White. If I was younger and had any coordination, I'd have done cartwheels when he fell all the way to the Indians with the 15th pick in the draft. Alex is a horse -- great arm, tremendous competitor. I'm not sure I agree with the idea of putting him in the bullpen. I know [the Indians] need relievers, but he doesn't figure to pitch in the big leagues before 2011. Who knows what the bullpen will look like by then? Not that White wouldn't be a stud reliever. UNC used him out of the pen at the 2008 College World Series, and he was extraordinary."

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